Odor chemicals from plants like spindle tree (Euonymus) and yew (Taxus) can be used as attractants for vine weevils, according to an Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientist and his two Dutch collaborators. The scientists have applied for a patent on their discovery. ARS entomologist Denny Bruck at the agency's Horticultural Crops Research Unit in Corvallis, Ore., worked on the research with Rob W.H.M. Van Tol and Frans C. Griepink of Plant Research International, Wageningen, The Netherlands ................ Bruck and his collaborators found that the vine weevil shows a clear preference for odors from specific plants like spindle tree and yew. In laboratory tests, researchers found that these plants, when damaged by adult weevils, were more attractive than the undamaged plants. Extracts from spindle tree plants were attractive as well. Using a combination of scientific techniques, they determined the specific components in the extract responsible for adult vine weevil attraction. Their future work will focus on the development of practical monitoring and control tools for growers, based on the current discovery http://www.faqs.org/patents/app/20110302823